Nintendo Power

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It has been requested that this article be rewritten and expanded to include more information. Reason: include more coverage prior to 2011

This article is about Nintendo's official magazine. For the Super Famicom RAM cartridge service with the same name, see here. For an alternate name of a video-game competition, see Nintendo PowerFest '94.

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Cover for the first issue of Nintendo Power, featuring Super Mario Bros. 2
The first issue of Nintendo Power, featuring Super Mario Bros. 2

Nintendo Power was Nintendo's official magazine in the United States and Canada from 1988 to 2012. It covered all of Nintendo's then-currently active systems (and some inactive ones, if there was any worthy news), along with new and upcoming games for those systems. Nintendo Power contained strategy guides, previews, reviews, and exclusive material not made available to other sources.

Nintendo Power (or NP) celebrated its 200th issue in February of 2006, and had a major design overhaul in late 2005.

On Monday, October 15, 2007, Nintendo of America sold Nintendo Power to Future USA, a magazine company that produces videogame magazines. The magazine remained the same except for a few small changes. After Future USA had taken over, the Player's Guide series was dropped (leaving Prima Games to produce the guides), and gifts could no longer be chosen with subscriptions, as the staff would instead choose one.

On August 21, 2012, Nintendo announced that they had opted not to renew their licensing agreement with Future Publishing and that Nintendo Power would cease publication after 24 years. The magazine released its final issue on December 11, 2012. A little over five years after its cancellation, on December 21, 2017, Nintendo of America began a podcast called the Nintendo Power Podcast with previous editor-in-chief Chris Slate discussing recent Nintendo-related events[1].

2011-12 coverage

Volume - Date Content Notes
263 - January 2011 Power Up; Warp Zone; Four-Sport Hero (Mario Sports Mix cover story); Resolution Revolution; 2010 Nintendo Power Awards Nominations; Playback; review, Community
264 - February 2011 Jungle Jabber; Warp Zone; Collector's Corner; Gaming's Greatest Couples; Nintendo DS Essentials; reviews; Community
265 - March 2011 Star Power; Collector's Corner, Download; The 3D Revolution Begins; The 2010 Nintendo Power Awards; Playback, reviews; Community
  • Star Power, "a closer look at the characters we love," profiles Waluigi
  • Collector's Corner features Super Mario Galaxy desktop figures
  • Download, the magazine's download-able content section covers the Virtual Console release of Mario Party 2, and gives a staff recommendation.
  • The 3D Revolution Begins previews Paper Mario: Sticker Star
  • Donkey Kong Country Returns wins Best Retro Revival and Best Retro Revival (Reader's Choice)
  • Super Mario Galaxy 2 wins Wii Game of the Year, Best Original Score, Best Platformer, Best Bonus Content, Game of the Year, Wii Game of the Year (Reader's Choice), Best Wii Graphics (Reader's Choice), Best Original Score (Reader's Choice), Best Platformer (Reader's Choice) and Overall Game of the Year (Reader's Choice).
  • WarioWare: D.I.Y wins Best New Idea
  • Playback revisits Donkey Kong Land
  • Reviews Archive takes another look at Super Mario All-Stars.
  • Community covers a fan-made Yoshi figure.
266 - April 2011 What About Mario; Warp Zone; reviews; Community
  • What About Mario covers the revelation of Super Mario 3D Land (then known simply as Super Mario).
  • Warp Zone recalls the 2001 coverage of Super Mario Advance.
  • Reviews Archive takes another look at Super Mario 64 DS.
  • Community covers a fan-made pixel block mural featuring some characters from the Mario series.
267 - May 2011 London Calling; Dimension Man; Warp Zone; Collector's Corner; Community
268 - June 2011 Warp Zone; Power Up; Previews; A Decade Advanced; Community
269 - July 2011 Power Up; Warp Zone; Collector's Corner; Power Profiles; Community
270 - August 2011 Power Up; Download; Nintendo's Next Wave; Still Super After All These Years, Playback; Community
271 - September 2011 Star Power; Warp Zone; Collector's Corner; Download; The Nintendo 64 Age of Innovation; Community
  • Star Power profiles Donkey Kong
  • Warp Zone recalls the 2001 coverage of Mario Kart: Super Circuit and the 1991 coverage of Super Mario World.
  • Collector's Corner features the Mario Kart K'Nex building sets.
  • Download covers the N3DS Virtual Console release of Game & Watch Gallery, which receives a staff recommendation.
  • The Nintendo 64 Age of Innovation celebrates the 15th anniversary of the Nintendo 64, including a look back at the many Mario-series games that appeared on the console.
  • Community features a Mario mural and paper collage portraits of various Mario-series characters.
272 - October 2011 That was Awesome!; Collector’s Corner; Power Up; Download; previews; Keys to the Kingdom cover story; Community
  • That was Awesome, which features a staff member’s favorite video game moments, highlights the use of Kuribo's Shoe in Super Mario Bros. 3.
  • Collector’s Corner features Super Mario figurines from Banpresto.
  • Power Up covers the 42 Wii games that have sold over a millions copies, a number of which are from the Mario-series.
  • Download covers the N3DS Virtual Console release of Mario's Picross, which received a staff pick and recommended rating.
  • The Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is previewed.
  • Keys to the Kingdom previews Super Mario 3D Land.
  • Community features fan-made Spiny Shell RC racers and fan sketches of monstrous interpretations of various enemies.
273 - November 2011 Next Wave; Warp Zone; Download; previews; Seventh Heaven cover story; Think Inside the Cube; Playback; reviews; Community
  • Next Wave covers the 2012 Nintendo 3DS lineup which includes Paper Mario, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, and the newly revealed Mario Tennis Open.
  • Warp Zone recalls the November 2001 cover story on Luigi's Mansion.
  • Download covers the N3DS Virtual Console releases of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, which receives a staff recommendation, and Golf, which receives a mixed staff recommendation.
  • Fortune Street is previewed.
  • Seventh Heaven highlights seven key feaures of Mario Kart 7 and interviews producer Hideki Konno.
  • Think Inside the Cube celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Nintendo GameCube and lists the console's top 25 games which include Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (19), Luigi's Mansion (15), Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (13), Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (9), Super Mario Sunshine (7) and Super Smash Bros. Melee (4).
  • Playback revisits Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.
  • Super Mario 3D Land receives a rating of 9.0 out of 10.
  • Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic games (Wii) receives a rating of 7.0 out of 10.
  • Community covers a fan-modified Wario bank/robot, a yarn Super Mario Bros. 3-style Treasure Chest and custom Smash Bros. figures.
274 - December 2011 Star Power; Warp Zone; previews; Nintendo Power Holiday 2011 Buyers' Guide; The Jungle V.I.P.; reviews; Community
  • Star Power profiles Mario.
  • Warp Zone looks back at the December 2001 Super Smash Bros. Melee cover story.
  • The N3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is previewed.
  • Nintendo Power Holiday 2011 Buyers' Guide suggests the various Mario games of the Nintendo Selects collection, Super Mario 3D Land for the platforming purist, Mario Kart 7, Mario Sports Mix, the Mario Wii and Nintendo DSi XL bundles, and the First 4 Figures Mario Nintendo DS Holder as gifts.
  • The Jungle V.I.P. celebrates the 30th anniversary of Donkey Kong.
  • Mario Kart 7 receives a rating of 9.0 out of 10.
  • Fortune Street receives a rating of 7.5 out of 10.
  • Community features homemade Mario character plushes, customized Mario crossover toys and a unit-origami Goomba.
275 - January/February 2012 Warp Zone; Collector's Corner; Download, previews; 2011 Nintendo Power Award Nominees; review; Community
  • Warp Zone looks back at the 1992 Super Mario comics.
  • Collector's Corner features 9 inch Super Mario Galaxy 2 figures and Mario Kart Wii keychains.
  • Download highlights Donkey Kong, Mario's Picross, Super Mario Land, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! as among the best titles available on Nintendo eShop
  • Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, Mario Tennis Open, Mario Party 9 and Paper Mario (Nintendo 3DS) are previewed.
  • Mario Kart 7 is nominated for Game of the Year (Nintendo 3DS).
  • Mario Sports Mix is nominated for Best Sports Game.
  • Super Mario 3D Land is nominated for Game of the Year (Nintendo 3DS), Best Nintendo 3DS Graphics, Best Original Score and Best Platformer.
  • Mario & Sonic and the London 2012 Olympic Games (Nintendo 3DS) receives a rating of 7.0 out of 10.
  • Reviews Archive takes another look at Super Mario 3D Land.
  • Community features fanmade Bowser and Koopa Paratroopa figures and a painting of Luigi.
276 - March 2012 Iwata Reveals New Plans; Star Power; Collector's Corner; 2011 Nintendo Power Awards; review; Community
  • Iwata Reveals New Plans covers a presentation by Satoru Iwata that announced a new 2D Mario game for Nintendo 3DS.
  • Star Power profiles Daisy.
  • Collector's Corner covers the K'Nex Mario Kart track-creating sets.
  • Mario Kart 7 wins Best Racing Game, Best Multiplayer, Best Racing Game (Readers' Choice) and Best Multiplayer (Readers' Choice).
  • Mario Sports Mix wins Best Sports Game (Readers' choice).
  • Super Mario 3D Land wins Nintendo 3DS Game of the Year, Best Platformer, Best Stereoscopic 3D, Finish-Strong Award, Nintendo 3DS Game of the Year (Readers' Choice), Best Nintendo 3DS Graphics (Readers' Choice), Best Platformer (Readers' Choice) and Best Stereoscopic 3D (Readers' Choice).
  • Mario Party 9 receives a rating of 8.0 out of 10.
  • Community features Mario-themed painted tables.
277 - April 2012 Warp Zone; Collector's Corner; Download; Making a Racket; Community
  • Warp Zone looks back at the first look at Wii version of Super Paper Mario.
  • Collector's Corner shows five keychains relating to Super Mario Galaxy.
  • Download reviews Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 for Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console as well as recommends Super Mario Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console, which was made available to the public at this time.
  • Making a Racket gives a full preview of Mario Tennis Open, including an interview with Hiroyuki Takahashi of Camelot and Toshiharu Izuno of Nintendo, the game's producer and lead designer, respectively.
  • The Community section features a painting of the sprite of Cape Mario on Yoshi as well as a cross-stitch of the first Super Mario World map screen. Also shown is two food items from the Paper Mario series as they would look as real-life foods.
278 - May 2012 Games are Art; Making Mario; Collector's Corner;Ultimate Super Mario; review; Community
  • Games are Art covers Mario appearances at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Man to Mass Effect book.
  • Making Mario interviews Super Mario 3D Land director Koichi Hayashida.
  • Collector's Corner covers Banpresto's Super Mario Mini Figure Collection Series 3.
  • Ultimate Super Mario ranks the mainline Super Mario series games.
  • Mario Tennis Open receives a rating of 7.0 out of 10.0.
  • Community covers a Mario-themed wedding, skateboard deck, cake and LEGO sculptures.

Comics

20th Anniversary comic of Nintendo Power
The 20th anniversary comic

Several issues of Nintendo Power have comics within them, many of which make references to the Mario series of games or related media. These comics revolve mostly around the character Nester, who plays various Nintendo games along with other characters. Originally titled "Howard & Nester" (stylized as "Howard & Nester NESTER"), the comics followed both the character Howard Phillips (based on Nintendo of America's then main spokesman and co-editor of the magazine) and Nester as they played games and gave out tips. When the real Howard left Nintendo, his character was likewise retired from the strip, leading to the comics being retitled "Nester's Adventures", with the comics now following Nester and his friends for several issues. After a long hiatus, another unnamed comic was made for Nintendo Power's 20th anniversary, which shows a grown-up Nester with an unnamed son. For Nintendo Power's final issue, a comic called "Nester & Maxwell" (stylized as "Nester & Maxwell MAX") was done as a callback to the original comic series where Nester and his son Maxwell talk about Nintendo Power's past.

Issue number Comic series (if available) Mario references
#231 Nester is playing Mario Kart Wii when his son comes in with the 20th issue of Nintendo Power. After talking about the NES, Nester and his son watch The Wizard, specifically mentioning Super Mario Bros. 3 that is played at the end of the movie, and Nester mentions the Super Mario Bros. movie. At the end of the comic, Nester's son gives a tip on how to avoid the POW Block in Mario Kart Wii and the two begin racing against each other.
#285 Nester & Maxwell The final comic shows Nester reading the final issue of Nintendo Power in a room with many Nintendo Power-related posters and merchandise, including a poster about Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and the clay models of Mario and Wart that was used for the first issue. In the second-to-last panel, Nester's son, Maxwell, invites him to play New Super Mario Bros. U, to which Nester asks his son to create platforms to help him over difficult pits.
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Cover gallery

Below is a gallery of almost all of the Nintendo Power covers that Mario and others have appeared on. Notably, the Mario franchise has been stated to be the most popular subject of the magazine's covers, having appeared on 57 throughout the magazine's run, including those of both its first and last issues.

Nintendo Power Advance

In 2001, to promote the launch of the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo published a quarterly spinoff magazine of Nintendo Power entitled Nintendo Power Advance, which featured news, tips and complete walkthroughs for various Game Boy Advance games. It was canceled after only four issues. Mario, however, was featured on three of the four covers (with the remaining featuring Golden Sun).

Player's Guides

Super Game Boy North American Boxart Bundle
Super Game Boy came bundled with its own guide.

From 1991 through 2007, Nintendo Power also published official strategy guides for big Nintendo games. Among the games in the Mario series that were given Player's Guides are the following:

Nintendo Player's Guide Gallery

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See also

Gallery

  • Part of an ad for Nintendo Power

    Part of an ad for Nintendo Power

External links

Nintendo Power coverage on other NIWA wikis:
The English Wikipedia logo, for use on the Wikipedia template. Wikipedia has an article on Nintendo Power.

References

  1. ^ First episode of Nintendo Power Podcast

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